I walked down the dark and dank hall way wearing my black night gown and silk socks. When I came to the turn in at the end of the hall way, I posed and listened. I could hear glass breaking. Papa had probably dropped his drink because I could hear swearing right after the crash. This was good because he wouldn’t be paying any attention to what’s going on outside the room. I knew that if I was seen by him he may beat me but I had to come because mama was in danger and the decision was going to be made tonight.
As I sneaked up next to their door I could hear mamas voice, “Let me call for someone to clean that up, is that okay Muerto?”
“No, you, you will sit down. I have decided what we will do with that useless bitch, Aimee!” Papa slurred out. I couldn’t tell for sure but I think he pushed mama into a chair. “We will do the same as we did for her elder sister,” Mama’s skirt rustled a lot like she was standing up real quick “NO! NO! Please Muerto, don’t make her do tha-”. I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to sick my dogs on him, I wanted to make him disappear when I heard the slap and mama whimper on the ground.
“Aimee is ugly compared to her sister. You failed to give me a boy so now I will us the girls to make up for that fact.” I swear I felt it get colder when he said that. I heard stumbling towards the door and ran to hide under the couch they put in the hall way for some reason. The door opened to the bedroom and light spilled out. I quietly tried to make sure my entire night gown was under the couch as papa walked down the hall past me. His shoes made scuff sounds on the black marble as he headed to his other room. I waited for about 10 minutes to know he wouldn’t come back and slide out from other the couch. I then went to mama to hold her while she cried.
“He’s going to sell you. Oh my enfant de l’amour. He’s going to sell you! Why? Just so he can get in the favors of others or to get things he wants, that why!” The resentment in her voice was something I’ve only heard a few times in my entire life. “Mama-” “We need to do something to stop him; I should have stopped him when he was selling your sister’s body but I was too scared. I will stop him this time no ma-” “Mama!! Please let me help you off the floor and we will plan something when you’re calmer.”
I helped mama up into her favorite chair close to the fire and putted more wood into the fire. I then went and pored her some cold tae she had made earlier today and gave it to her. I sat on to floor and watched mama sip the tea and slowly calm down, when she finished her tea she dosed for a little bit. Grabbing her favorite blanket, I laid it on her as I got ready to leave them room after cleaning up the glass. As I opened the door I heard mama say quietly “You know he will sell you for sex to other nobles like a commoner prostitute.” Those words scared me. They made me want to run away because of the truth mama spoke. “He did the same thing to Asesino before marrying her off. I hate him for doing that to your sister and now trying to do it to you my enfant de l’amour.” Turning around I saw mama had pulled out a long red handled hand knife from somewhere.
“Mama? Why do you have that knife?”
“Check that there’s nobody our side and then close the door. And as for the knife, it was a gift from your father. The only man I love. The man who blessed me with you, my enfant de l’amour. You know that you look so much like him, Aimee. He said when you were old enough to understand I sold tell you and give you this.” Holding out the knife towards me she said with a small smile “Take it my enfant de l’amour and come next to me”
I walked over to her, took the knife from her hand and sat in the chair across from her while studding the details on the knife. The knife was beautiful, on the doubled sided blade was carved the moon and sun in an amazing and delicate way. The handle was carved wood of lions and tigers protecting a baby under a willow tree. The whole handle was painted a deep red with a little color here and there to illustrate the carvings better. I loved it. “Um mama I look nothing like papa,” I hesitantly looked up from the knife to mama, “so does that mean you’re saying that papa isn’t really my father but a different man is? Is that why you call me your love child in French? And, um, if it’s that I am not papa’s child does that mean Asesino isn’t papa’s child too?”
“Yes it is. For you are a child was made from love. And your sister is Muerto’s child. My love and I were too afraid to be together then when Muerto was still paying nicer action then. When you were born I was so afraid Muerto would know you weren’t his. You have his dark green eyes, his thick black wavy hair and grow tall and skinny to the bone. Muerto just figures you got your black hair and green eyes from me even though mine are much lighter in color and my hair is straight. I think he never bothered to look too closely at you for the fact you’re not the boy he wanted. Which is a good thing, I would be horrified if he never let me see Luna again.”
The moment I heard her say Luna I knew who she was talking about and it make perfect sense. “Wait, you mean Luna Amante Eroe? He’s my father? That’s papa’s favorite friend!!”
“Yes well He’s my lover and you can understand why you shouldn’t tell anyone this, right? Nobody at all!” Mama looked a bit desperate when she said this and I promised her that I wouldn’t. “Take this knife and place it somewhere others won’t find. Also I have figured out something that will make us safe from Muerte. No-” “What is i-” “Hush! You will not need to take place in this plan! I need you to stay out of the way no matter what. Now go back to your room before one of your ladies in waiting notices your gone and come to find you my enfant de l’amour.” She said in the strongest voice she could while staying quiet. She came over to me and gave me a hug when I stood up.
“I love you mama.” I whispered into her hear before leaving. I walked down the hallways silently while making sure there was nobody to see me. As I slipped into my room I saw that none of the girls even woke up and hid the knife behind my tall head post in a nitch that only my older sister and i knew about. We used to hide things here all the time when we were little ones and then notes later on when we were older. That was before she married and she moved out. I climbed under my blankets and try not to think about that fact I wasn’t related to the man I hate and my poor sister was.